Watling, CDG dig NZ out of deep hole
Talk about digging in and showing some ticker at a time of need.
Colin de Grandhomme and
B J Watling combined for a record 142-run sixth-wicket partnership to drag New Zealand out of a deep hole on day two of the second cricket test against England.
The pair’s rescue act at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval yesterday was desperately needed after the hosts slumped to 36-5, in reply to England’s first innings of 307.
However, the Black Caps are still on the back foot and will resume today on 192-6, still 115 runs in arrears, with three fine days forecast in the Garden City. Needing to at least draw the final match of the home summer to record their fourth series win against England, de Grandhomme showed immense maturity in his 151-ball innings of 72, which complemented the ever-gutsy Watling and his unbeaten 77 from 196 deliveries.
Their New Zealand record sixthwicket stand against England started in the 20th over when Stuart Broad (4-38) and Jimmy Anderson (2-43) had their tails up and were still nipping the ball all over the show.
But they batted 50.1 overs, surviving almost everything the desperate tourists could throw at them, including a barrage of short stuff from right-arm quick Mark Wood.
De Grandhomme finally fell in the 70th over of the day, when he pushed at a full delivery from Broad and was caught behind.
After a day which ended 20 minutes early due to bad light and where the pattern – a flurry of wickets followed by the batting side digging in – from the first day continued, there’s still a heap of work for the home side to do.
England, fighting to save the series and finish a miserable test tour of Australia and New Zealand on a positive note, needed early wickets and got them.
Anderson and Broad made the ball talk from the first over, which included three consecutive Anderson deliveries which nipped away and beat Jeet Raval’s outside edge.
New Zealand slumped to 17-4 inside the first 10 overs, but it could have been more dire had captain Kane Williamson not survived a close shave with the review system.
England reviewed umpire Marais Erasmus’ decision to give Williamson not out lbw to an Anderson delivery which seamed in and struck him dead in front.
However, Williamson escaped because more than half the ball struck him outside the line of offstump. The tourists were on the right side of their next lbw review, which saw first-test centurion Henry Nicholls departing to Broad without troubling the scorers.
He and Raval could be excused for losing their wickets to quality bowling. Tom Latham and Ross Taylor could not.
Both opener Latham and No 4 Taylor played loose drives early and only managed to nick behind.
Earlier, Southee surpassed Chris Cairns and moved into fourth on New Zealand’s all-time test wicket leaderboard after snaring his 219th scalp.
He edged out debutant Jack Leach to finish with 6-62, before Trent Boult dismissed Jonny Bairstow for 101 to end England’s first innings.